07/31/21

Not only music - Pol'and'Rock, important discussions at the heart of this year’s meetings at the Academy of the Finest of Arts


I wish you that you will never be too old to join the mosh pit because mosh pit is a state of mind. - said Arek Jakubik at the end of his meeting at the AFA. The Academy of the Finest of Arts has been inviting inspiring guests from Poland and around the world for the last 15 years. The range of subjects discussed at the events hosted by the Academy of the Finest of Arts is as wide as the list of musical styles presented at the Main Stage. We’ve covered human rights, economy, equality, respect, family, passion, travel, film, media creation and many more.


The real power of AFA meetings is an honest, open conversation in which the guest and the host participate. There are so many topics to discuss, and not that much time, so the real artists to conduct a discussion so as to keep the interest of the diverse audience of the Festival until the very end. That is why journalists of Onet.pl have been conducting meetings at theAcademy of the Finest of Arts for several years. The audience is able to keep up the pace -does not remain passive. Good questions, sharp exchanges, and there are often tears of emotion.


The best currency is a smile
-Elżbieta Dzikowska, special guest of the Academy of theFinest of Arts

The serenity of spirit, openness and kindness accompanied everyone - both on the stage and the festival-goers. During this year's edition, the participants were inspired by the following guests:


Łukasz Czepiela caught the aviation bug at the age of 6 - today he is the best Polish racing pilot, as well as an Airbus cruise captain. In 2019, he honoured the opening of the Pol'and'Rock Festival together with The Flying Bulls team with an impressive show of aerobatics.


Andrzej Chyra is one of the most recognizable Polish actors, a graduate of the Acting Department and the Directing Department of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw.


Jakobe Mansztajn - a poet and blogger, a phenomenon of Polish cyberspace. His work has been translated into, among others, Hebrew, English, German and Norwegian. It has over 369,000 followers on Facebook and almost 800,000 followers on Instagram.


July 30, Second day of meetings at the Academy of the Finest of Arts

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Life without passion is like life without salt. Of course, you shouldn't overdo it
-Elżbieta Dzikowska 

Elżbieta Dzikowska - special guest of mBank. For years associated with her husband of many years, Tony Halik, one of the most famous Polish travelers. Art historian, sinologist, director and cinematographer, focusing on documentary and travel films, author of books, originator of television and radio programs, and organizer of many contemporary art exhibitions. Full of admiration for the atmosphere and uniqueness of the Festival, she asked the participants if she could take some photos of the camping fields.


Arkadiusz Jakubik is a characteristic actor, the creator of many interesting creations, full of authenticity and artistic honesty. The artist flawlessly combines emotions that move in his directness with an excellent sense of comedy. A filmmaker, he also has a musician's soul. Known from the project by dr.Misio In an interview with the audience of the Academy of the Finest of Arts, not only sang a fragment of the operetta in which he had the opportunity to polish his voice 20 years ago.


Kamil Dziubka led a debate entitled: Are we in danger of polexit? A legal battle to protect European values ​​- its guests were Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram and Michał Wawrykiewicz.

Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram and Michał Wawrykiewicz have extensive experience in the field of the European Commission, legal processes implemented by the European Court of Human Rights and how the processes of Polish legislation function. They are socially committed attorneys working for clear, independent and constitutional operation of the courts in Poland. They are the co-founders of the Justice Defense Committee, which monitors cases of political pressure being exerted on judges, lawyers and solicitors.


July 31, the third day of meetings at the Academy of Fine Arts

A systematic development plan has a huge impact on life. I sincerely encourage you to such a practice, because it gently “enters” and changes your life.


Meetings can be an opportunity to inspire yourself to change your surroundings or your life. Radek Kotarski - a knowledge promoter, journalist and author of books - is sure to be such a driving force of changes. Kotarski's third book, "Different", which, together with the Ferrari F430, became the heroine of the record-breaking auction for the 29th GOCC Final, describes innovative methods of organizing his work.
-Janusz Schwertner in an interview with Przemek Kossakowski and the Down The Road crew

Down The Road is a program with the participation of Przemek Kossakowski about six young people with Down syndrome who, together with the host, set off on a journey of their lives. The program, which was enthusiastically received by viewers, changed the way the public perceives people with Down syndrome. All six of them appeared on the stage of the Academy of Fine Arts: Jan Skiba, Adam Wdówka, Paula Rakowska, Paulina Ochocka, Szymon Grzech, Paulina Pigan.


I still don't believe in myself, but when I see this crowd of people, they build me up
-said Paula Rakowska during the meeting

Marta Lempart is the initiator of Black Monday - the first Polish National Women's Strike, which took place on October 3, 2016 (mass protests against the tightening of the anti-abortion law). One of the faces of the Polish Women's Strike movement, fighting for women's rights and Poland for all, in which human rights are the basis of democracy.


Big change doesn’t happen in a day
-the participants of the last meeting at the Academy of the Finest of Arts heard from the stage

The meetings within the framework of the Academy of Fine Arts, inspiring for change and action, aroused great interest, not only in the Festival area. All conversations with outstanding figures from the world of culture, science, politics and social life, conducted during the meetings of the Academy of Fine Arts, were broadcast live on the Internet. Each day, the number of people watching the broadcasts reached over 40,000 viewers.


The patron of the Academy of Finest of Arts at the Pol'and'Rock Festival is mBank.



The 27th Pol'and'Rock Festival takes place on July 29-31 at the former Makowice-Płoty airport in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. On an area of ​​78 hectares, there are campsites, a stage where nearly 30 performers will perform, the Academy of Fine Arts zone with meetings with outstanding guests and evening concerts, as well as partner spaces.
The Festival will include, among others Dżem, Dubioza Kolektiv, Hańba !, Black River, Tides from Nebula, Renata Przemyk, Morgane Ji and Kasia Kowalska. At the Academy of Fine Arts - on the following days - you will be able to meet Arkadiusz Jakubik, Marta Lempart, Elżbieta Dzikowska, Przemek Kossakowski and the Down the Road team, Radek Kotarski and attorneys Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram and Michał Wawrykiewicz (meeting about polexit).
The festival has a hybrid form - it is available both to participants present on site and to people following its course on the Internet. In the stationary form, up to 20,000 participants can participate in the event, including vaccinated and unvaccinated people (in accordance with the regulation of the Council of Ministers). The event's broadcast is available on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch, as well as on Onet and on Antyradio.